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September 18, 1999- Kunming, China The last few weeks in China have just zoomed by, it's hard to believe that our 30 day visa is almost up. After Chengdu we headed down by train (24 hours- hard sleeper) to the travel friendly Yun'nan province, known for its pleasant climate and gorgeous scenary. Kunming is the capital of Yun'nan province and the host of the 1999 World Horticultural Expo. The Expo's slogan, "Man and Nature Marching into the 21st Century", is plastered all over the city. Kunming is model city China- their urban planners most definitely took a study trip to Holland- bicycles, people, buses, taxis and cars are all neatly divided into seperate lanes. Potted plants and shrubbery are everywhere the eye can see. Every major intersection is directed by a stern policeman making sure everyone is in their proper lane. Chaotic Chinese traffic this is not! This city, along with most of China, is booming. Development is everywhere and new buildings are being constructed on every block. In China, I often feel as if I am witnessing the Industrial Revolution Part 2- Kunming is no exception. One of the most interesting comparisons in China is that of the rural vs. urban society. It is unbelievable how different they are- you feel like you are seeing two different centuries. Agricultural is primarily medieval here, no high tech farm equipment anywhere to be seen. Instead, you see countless peasants tending the fields with hoes, by hand, or with the help of ox. This is such a contrast to the blatant modernization of the cities. One of the most interesting things about Kunming is that all of this development, to an outsider, seems to be happening withought the west. There is no McDonalds in sight and Multi-national advertising is minimal. As well, hardly anyone speaks English and communication is much more difficult here than in the North. There is a complete lack of information here from the outside world- the foreign language bookstore is limited to english translations of "Selected Jokes from Past Dynasties" and 5 year old copies of Time. Not even the local Holiday Inn carries newspapers- only the ubiquitous China Daily is to be found. The only non-Chinese information is available from the Internet, and the price of 10 Yuan ($2) per hour is somewhat steep for locals. When using the Internet, one gets the feeling that several websites are being censored. Rumour has it that CNN is blocked and in our own experience this proved to be true. However, our trusty Globe and Mail website seems to have escaped censor! In Kunming, we met up with a group of independant travellers that we would "hang out" with in our remaining time in China. Yun'nan has quite the number of 'backpacker hangouts' and it seems as if everone is going more or less the same route. The usual itiniary is Kunming-Dali-Lijiang-Tiger Leaping Gorge-Kunming which gives you a nice assortment of culture, nature and relaxation. Dali is an oasis in China- it is blessed with beautiful scenary, the colourful Dai minority and many pleasant cafes serving excellent food. In Dali, you never know who is the animal in the zoo. Is it the photogenic Dail people in their traditional costumes selling handicrafts and local produce? Or is it you? Here, Western tourists are the subject of endless curiousity and photos by the hordes of Chinese tourists who come to see the strange animals lounging around and drinking Tibetian Milk Tea at the endless cafes of "Foreigner's Street". At first, being the prime attraction for tour groups is a bit unnerving, then you realize how annoying YOU must be whilst snapping away pictures of locals. It then becomes a game, you purposely smile, wave and take pictures 'back' at the tour groups - I found that if you come at them with a camera, they'll pointedly avoid you!! We had two big outings in Dali- the first one was to Wase market, a 1 1/2 hour boat ride across Erhai lake. The Wase Market is definitely a step back in time, donkeys are the primary mode of transportation and pigs roam freely through the aisles. This market is for locals only, no touristy stalls selling trinkets are anywhere to be found. Instead, all sorts of fruits, vegetables, live (and dead) animals, household items, baked goods and delicious candies are being sold. Down one alley I even spotten a dentist with a nice selection of teeth and 'instruments' on display. I didn't see any customers though!! The next day we hiked up the Cangshaw mountain to the Jade Road, which is a pathway that completely encircles the mountain and sports several temples and other attractions. We started our climb up with Asher and Eran, two Israelis; Simon, an Austrian; Helena, a Brazilian; and Susanne, a German. I wanted to take the cable car up as it was hot and I was feeling lazy, but this suggestion was met with protests and promises of hiking up slowly. 15 minutes later it was only Susanne and I sweating it out slowly with Daniel staying along for moral support. The others had raced on ahead. We finally made it up 2 hours later and were rewarded by beautiful views and cup of tea at the first temple. The others were inpatiently waiting for us- they had made bets whether we had decided to walk back down halfway and take the cable car up. It was nice to know that they had such a wonderful impression about our physical condition! Two days later, we headed to Lijiang, which at first reminded us of Disney World. I half expected some furry mascots to come bouncing down one of the narrow streets. Lijiang is famous for its old town, which is filled with cobblestone streets, canals and traditional Naxi architecture. It is a United Nations World Heritage Site. The Naxis are traditionally a matriarchal society, which means here that marriage is not so important and that women usually rule the finances. The newly renovated part of the old town almost looks fake, with endless tourist shops selling handicrafts, hence the Disney World analogy. It was only once you got away from the main strips, that Lijiang's charm is shown. Here old women sell Baba, the local flatbread filled with honey or spices, old men cobble shoes on ancient instruments, children play on the street, and one catches glimpses of daily life by peeking into windows and doors. I celebrated my 24th birthday in Lijiang by eating dinner with all my new traveller friends at a local bistro. We had some really great pizza (Yes you can get good pizza in China!), some local Lijiang Beer and good conversations. After dinner, to my complete surprise, Helena and Susanne came out with a chocolate birthday cake, candles and all!! The travellers we met in Yun'nan province were really interesting and wonderful - both Daniel and I hope that we will all keep in touch (so if you are reading this- KEEP IN TOUCH!). We were going to go to Tiger Leaping Gorge to trek through the deepest gorge in China, but unfortunately, I got ill on the way to the trail head. At the last minute I decided it was probably not a good idea to go so we decided to stay in Dafu, a little village in the middle of nowhere for the night. Lucky we didn't go, as a few hours later Daniel got sick, so we both spent the night recuperating. Our China leg is now at an end. I think both Daniel and I really enjoyed travelling through China- It is not always easy, especially as communication is sometimes very difficult. However, the people are very friendly and make an effort to help you. There is so much more to see here- Tibet, the western provinces, Inner Mongolia- these are all places we didn't get a chance to see. We will most definitely come back to explore further! COMPARITIVE INTERNET ACCESS IN CHINA Hong Kong Cultural Centre free Hong Kong Local ISP connection 108 HK$ for 3 months + 1.98 HK$ per hour ($1 CDN = 5.2 HK$) Beijing Jinghua Hotel 15Y for 30 minutes ($1 CDN = 5 Yuan) Chengdu Netbar 12Y for 1 hour Kunming Camilla Hotel 30Y for 3 hour access card Dali Tom's Cafe 8Y for 10 minutes Xi'an no internet found Lijiang MCA Guesthouse 20Y for 1 hour Dafu no internet found back to index |
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Monday, September 6, 1999 - Chengdu, China It is a rainy monday afternoon here in Chengdu. We have just got back from seeing the pandas at the Chengdu Panda Breeding Centre, which is the premier panda research centre in the world. We went bright and early in the morning because apparently the panda feeding between 8 and 10 am is the only time you can really see the pandas. The rest of the time they hideout and sleep. They are really quite cute. I have never had more than a passing interest in pandas, but now I am most definitely a panda convert. Seeing them lounge around in their habitat and playfully pose for the cameras is so appealing. No wonder China gives them out as "friendship" gifts to other states- who can resist a panda? Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan province, the most populated province in China. It's population is about 5 times that of Canada! For those who aren't on top of their Chinese geography, it's smack in the middle of China. Sichuan is famous for its spicy food. The food is the main reason we came here actually (Others may follow their hearts, but we follow our stomachs). We have been salivating over images of spicy hotpots and other fiery foods ever since Hong Kong, where Flora's family took us out to this wonderful Sichuan restaurant. Now, in our opinion one of the worst things that can happen on a trip is being disappointed when a certain thing does not live up to your expectations. We've so far successfully avoided having great expectations for any one place, preferring to be pleasantly surprised if things turn out well, and taking in the 'experience' if things don't. Unfortunately our expectations for Sichuan food was sky high- which makes the bad food experiences we've had oh-so-disappointing. Probably the worst experience we had was on Saturday night. We had gone to Remnin Park, this lovely park in Chengdu where you can sit, drink tea and watch all the masseuses, ear cleaners, card players, dancers, Tai-Chi practioners and what not in action. We left the park around 8 pm and headed towards this restaurant which our Lonely Planet guide had recommanded. For some odd reason restaurants close very early here in Chengdu, most have their shutters closed by about 8:30 pm. So when we arrived at our restaurant it was just closing up, leaving us starving and stranded for a good place to eat. We decided to keep walking a little way and suddenly we came upon this little restaurant which looked both busy and open- always a good sign. We decided to go in and sat down at a table. Usually in Chinese restaurants we successfully communicate by a combination of pointing to other people's dishes, using our phrasebook and basic hand signals. In most places this method works fine,but here it was not so good: We happily pointed to a hotpot (which is sort of like a fondue) that a neighbouring table was eating from. The waitress nodded her head and wrote one word on a slip of paper- DOG. We vigorously shook our heads: "NO, No Dog". We pointed at another dish and received the same reply: "dog". I went up to the cooking area and looked at all the different meats displayed, I pointed to each one individually: "Dog". "Dog". "Dog". I got the same reply for each one. We were getting desperate- we were starving to death but there was NO way I was going to eat any Muffys or Spots. Daniel and I are both adventurous eaters, but the line was drawn at childhood companions. We pulled out the food section from the phrasebook and just gave it to the waitress. The words were written in Chinese as well so we figured that maybe she could tell us what she could offer us which wasn't dog. She pointed to chicken fried rice- we quickly agreed. The chicken fried rice was, of course, bland and boring- a cruel disappointment to our visions of Sichuan spice. We walked out of the restaurant feeling frustrated and let down- where was all the good food? In the meanwhile we have tasted some good, hot dishes here. However none of the food so far has equalled the excellence of the Sichuan food we had in Hong Kong. Oh well, I guess we just don't know the good places! Milana It's difficult to describe the chaos that are the streets here in China. First of all, there are an amazing number of people, cars and bicycles, tricycles and rickshaws moving about without. There is little respect for streetsigns and lights, but somehow everybody gets to where they want to go. I haven't seen an accident yet, even though many times in a bus or taxi I've had to grab the handles and close my eyes, just hoping that we don't hit a pedestrian or a bicyclist crossing the street in front of us. On the streets, young and old get together for the daily rituals. Eating, working, napping, talking, and gawking. There are bicycle repair stands and fruit vendors at nearly every corner, as well as bicycle-rickshaws. Many people seem to have a good time just squatting around and watching the hustle and bustle. We are stared at quite a bit here, and it's always amusing when we hear a 'hello' shouted behind our backs by someone practicing their entire English vocabulary. And everyone smiles... We've had an interesting hotel experience. In Xi'an, we stayed at a real dump called the Shang'an, but relatively speaking it must have been an acceptable hotel because other travellers did not have good things to say about their hotels either. The first night we barely slept because a family of rats were racing around our closet and bathroom. Trying to find some food, they made an incredible amount of noise while we peeked nervously from under our blankets. There was no way to change the room during the night (I tried), but in the morning that was my first order of business. The manager just smiled and said "Oh, you're staying in THAT room". So, for the remainder of our China trip, we will try to stay in the well-known backpacker hotels which, although not always the authentic experience one is looking for, provide a reasonable level of service and cleanliness. Daniel back to index |
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Monday, August 30, 1999 - Beijing, China Beijing is a crazy, chaotic city. It took a few days to warm up to it, but now we are Beijing-savvy. Other than seeing the main sights, we have spent most of our time wandering up and down the streets, dodging erratic cyclists, cars and buses. One of the best ways of seeing Beijing is by foot- this way you can explore the endless tree-lined streets and alleys that make up this city. I have to admit that when we first arrived here, we were a bit overwhelmed. We didn't know what to make of everyone's overt friendliness- where they truly being nice or were they somehow trying to scam us? Luckily for us they are usually just being nice- foreigners give them the perfect opportunity to practise their English and to find out about life outside of China. We've also met some interesting foreigners, including some very nice African diplomats. We are staying at this backpacker's hotel called the Jinghua. It is not the cleanest or nicest of places, but it fulfills a sorely lacking need of cheap accomodations in Beijing. This place is a Western oasis, filled with western food, an internet cafe and way too many backpackers. I think we feel a bit guilty staying here- it's not really a 'true' Chinese experience- but what are we supposed to do?? < br> On Thursday we went to the Forbidden City, the huge compound where the Emperor and his entourage lived. They say that it is only during the dynasty periods that the rulers were so separated from the masses, living a life of secluded priviledge. The Forbidden City may now be overrun by masses, but just outside the Forbidden City walls are gigantic, well-guarded compounds for today's rulers. So much for a socialist, classless society!! One of the surprising things about the Forbidden City is its accessibility. You can sit on any banister, chip away at the gold vases, have a snack on an ornately carved stone table or throw your garbage in the flower planters. We were really shocked by the lack of respect for these irreplaceable artifacts, and even more surprised by the guards refusal to prevent damage. We understand and appreciate to government's attempt to bring a previously forbidden part of history to the people- but knowing the government's earlier defamation of history, cultural relics and the dynasties, it seems perhaps a deliberate allowance. The previous occupants of the Forbidden City would probably role in their tombs if they knew how their home was being treated- perhaps that is the intent. The Forbidden City was most definitely worth the visit, the buildings are beautiful, all done in red, blue and yellow, with carvings of dragons and other symbolic animals. My favorite part is the the garden where there are myriad little pathways through age-old cyprus trees and beautiful flowers. Right in the middle is a little Taoist temple which was for the exclusive use of the Emperor. One of the strangest things about the people in Beijing is the fact that a vast majority of both men and women seem to have a penchant for wearing ankle-length nylon socks ( the same material as pantyhose). People wear them with everything- suits, dresses, shorts, sandals, high heels, running shoes. It is an odd sight to see an otherwise fashionable dressed woman wearing a pair of ankle socks with her high heels and skirt. Odder still are the old men who wear them with their sneakers and shorts. Why does everyone wear them? It cannot be for comfort value as personal experience has shown that you only end up with stinky, sweaty and sticky feet after a day of wearing cheap nylons. I don't know if I have the courage to ask someone why they are so popular here- perhaps it is some sort of fashion trend that hasn't yet hit the rest of the world!!! Tonight we are taking the train to Xi'an- the home of the Terracotta Warriors. We shall write again when we get there. back to index |
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Thursday August 19, 1999 Daniel's Update These are exciting times in Hong Kong. Hong Kong has just had its first brush with e-business. A company called AdM@rt, started by one of the local real estate tycoons (who, by the way, seem to own just about everything in Hong Kong) is selling groceries and electronics over the Internet and phone. This has suddenly caused the two largest supermarket chains to dive into a price war with the new virtual competitor. Unfortunately for us, this war has so far only resulted in cheap cans of Coca-Cola, so we are still waiting to be able to buy expensive 'bird's nest' liquor for silly prices (or wine for that matter). Also of interest are the television ads describing QUALITY as an important virtue for any business. I'm not kidding; these commercials show well dressed business people winning contracts because their product or service is of supposedly high quality. No products or business names are mentioned. There are also commercials about preventing environmental destruction and respecting nature, all explained in a nice, green cartoon-like way. These commercials don't give any real advice or suggestions, it's just that Hong Kong residents seem to need some reminders in these areas. An interesting example regarding quality is an incident that has recently made the news here. A 'room' has recently crashed to the ground from the third story of a building, killing a poor woman selling fruits on the street. I happened to be in the area when this happened and witnessed the commotion. These 'rooms' are suspended like balconies on the side of buildings and can be seen everywhere in Hong Kong. They are actually illegal additions to a building structure, sometimes two or three stories high, simply hanging on the side of a building without any proper support. Obviously they are the product of Hong Kong's notoriously high population density. Walking underneath one of these things has often given me goosebumps and knowing that one has recently crashed to the ground is not surprising. This has sparked the discussion over a whole new set of policies regarding the necessary upkeep and safety appraisal of older buildings. These laws don't exist! Hopefully buildings will be renovated or simply torn down before any more lives are taken because of this. The above is a good example of the narrow-minded business mentality prevalent in Hong Kong. Decisions are made with mostly short term growth in mind, but even long term ideas rarely ever include any considerations of ongoing maintenance down the road, such as future impact on the environment. The air in Hong Kong is very polluted, the water is supposedly drinkable and the beaches and surrounding waters are filthy and often not suitable for human contact (swimming). Now this may not seem such a big deal, after all the beaches in Toronto are mostly closed as well. There are other problems, such as recycling. In Hong Kong, recycling doesn't exist at all. I have seen only one recycling box in 2 months here, and that one was sponsored by 'The Body Shop'. Everything is thrown out, toxic waste controls are not enforced (who knows if they exist?), and it's only very slowly that people are waking up to this fact. There are almost no laws regarding the environment even though the SAR (Special Administrative Region) Council supports some commercials that 'care about the environment'. The bottom line is: if it can't make a profit, it's not going to happen. In the newspaper recently some locals were interviewed as to what they would do if they could change some things in Hong Kong. One of them said: "If we could invent a way to recycle garbage?. That's one person ahead of his time. Hong Kong time, that is. back to index |
Copyrights Here is this little story of what happened to me in Hong Kong. Now, it's not terribly exciting, but I found it very interesting and revealing, so I'll share it with you here.Just recently, I was at the local library trying to make a few photocopies of an interesting book I found. It was about teacher activities for kids in the classroom: stories, origami airplanes, and little games. As I made my way around the library, I couldn't see a photocopier anywhere, which surprised me quite a bit, since I've always regarded these machines as an irrevocable part of any library. After wandering around for a while, I finally asked a library assistant as to the location of a photocopier. "Oooh, hmmh, they are in the special reference section only". Ok, so I made my way into the reference section, only to be confronted with a near airport-style bag search facility. After that, I walked to the one and only photocopier and placed the book onto the glass plate. A library guardian immediately walked up to me and demanded to see my photocopy registration form. My what? It turns out that I have to complete a form, detailing every book, its publisher, author, version and page numbers I intend to copy, and then seal this procedure with the presentation of a Hong Kong Identity card -- which I do not have. After a shock as to the inexistence of this Hong Kong Identity card on my part, the librarian chose the easiest path in this situation, and decided that without the aforementioned ID card, I was not permitted to make any photocopies! This was astounding to me. Not only did I have to produce a passport on applying for a library card, (where a driver's license, credit card, or proof of residency should be enough) but now I was prevented from making photocopies, due to what seemed to be very conservative copyright rules. Maybe Hong Kong, particularly since its return to China, has become more conscious of the information its citizens make their own, and finds this a particularly insightful avenue to the thoughts and going-ons of individual people. But this is not the case: these rules are actually part of the HK Copyright laws. Now, Hong Kong is a place where whole floors of shopping malls (and sometimes two or three floors) are dedicated to the sale of pirated material. There, one can buy movies, software and computer games which sometimes haven't even been released. Everything is for sale, carrying a price tag barely higher than the CD it's burned on. Whole stores, in malls and on the streets; (dis)reputable places doing brisk business. But my photocopies were denied. It was only after insistent pleading and my stubborn refusal to leave, that my Passport Number would suffice - a rare exception made only through the goodwill of said librarian. It gets even better. When I actually made the photocopies, a security guard nervously looked in my direction, staring at the book to make sure that I actually photocopied the pages I intended to copy - not others. After I was finished, the guard ran to the photocopier, checked the counter to see how many photocopies I had made and promptly entered this information in a public ledger. It was very ironic that a few minutes later, after leaving the library, I walked by one of these pirate shops and saw our friendly helpers and protecters (police) leering inside, trying to catch a glimpse of a movie they might take home that night. To be purchased when the uniform comes off I assume. Otherwise, things have been fun fun fun :) !!! |
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Thursday August 19, 1999 Milana's Update Our stay in Hong Kong draws to a close. On Monday the 23rd we leave Hong Kong on the 3pm Beijing-bound train. The 29 hour hard sleeper ride will be interesting, to say the least, but more on that in our next update! Hong Kong is a city full of contrasts- rich and poor, good intentions and bad management, it's a city that is not quite comfortable with its identity yet. There are some things I hate about it - the lack of an environmental program for instance; there is no recycling program and the pollution in the air and water are terrible. The crowds and the obsessions with money and material goods are other things I don't like. Somehow all these negative aspects of HK are inter-related. The massive consumption of goods means many Hong Kongers are more interested in the short term, tangible benefits that acquisitions can bring, while eschewing longer-term, more intangible benefits such as cleaner air and water and less garbage. Hong Kong is the ultimate capitalist system where there is a true 'survival of the fittest' mentality. In my opinion this leads to a minimal group identity in HK, which in turn fosters a lack of public goods such as social and environmental programs. Instead, free market capitalism is king here, and the man with most conspicuous acquisitions (nicest residence, clothes, car), wins. However, the things I like about Hong Kong also derive from this acquisitive nature. There are an incredible amount of business opportunities here, probably more than in any other city in the world. Everyone is an entrepreneur- and you can be too- just stick around long enough to get bitten by the consumption bug and business ideas will start popping into your head! Another benefit are the countless different restaurants here, most of them more or less reasonably priced. The variety is astounding: Chinese, Indian, Malaysian, Russian, Mongolian- you name it, it's here. The shopping situation is also unmatched. You can buy anything and everything in HK, at significantly cheaper prices than in the Western world. Clothes shopping is what you want? Go to one of the endless malls, markets and street shops to find the trendy, good quality, cheap item you are looking for. Ditto for electronics. Even locals agree that HK is good for 3 things- work, eating and shopping. Forget about anything else. --- Honestly, we haven't done too much of interest since our last update, we've mostly been working, hanging out at our hotel, and going out to eat. Ever since we got the laptop out here, we've been pretty anti-social, preferring to surf the net instead of going out and meeting people. We've also been discouraged from going out a lot for two other reasons: First of all it is usually way too hot during the day, making it preferable to lounge around our air-conditioned building than to venture outside. As well, we noticed that whenever we do go out, we tend to spend too much money- something that's quite easy to do in HK! We have been going out with some people. Other than Kelvin, his family and his girlfriend Flora, we also hung out quite a bit with Candace Chan while she was here. We also met a nice woman in our building, Estella, who ironically is also a Canadian passport holder (although she has never lived there). We've also talked to other people along the way- but mostly it's just Daniel and I. For those who are curious (and I know you're all on the edge of your seats), our 2 months, 24-7 together has worked out well. No arguments yet! (Except about who gets to use this computer) One of our nicest outings recently was to the island of Cheng Chau. We followed the Lonely Planet walking tour suggestion and it was simply lovely. Like Lamma Island, Cheng Chau is car-free and full of winding paths, mystical cemeteries, cute little herbal medicine shops, beaches and tons of bicycles. We spend a nice afternoon exploring the myriad, narrow streets and enjoying the relaxed atmosphere. Least I forget, earlier this month we made a day trip to Macau, the Portuguese colony which is approximately a 1 hour boat ride away. The highlight of this trip was definitely lunch. We ate at Fernando's- a legendary restaurant in Coloane, a beach village of Macau. Fernando's is set at the far end of the beach- it's unassuming façade masks the surprise inside. Once you walk past the dingy front dining room the place is revealed in all its glory. A huge stone kitchen is on your right, where you can peek in to look at the huge ovens. Keep going and you emerge into a tree-lined courtyard with a gazebo bar and plenty of chairs and tables. This part of the restaurant is uninhabitable during the daytime- the hot, baking sun makes you quickly seek refuge in the adjacent dining room. The dining room is right out of colonial times with high ceilings, wood paneling, huge, open clapboard windows and ceiling fans. You can guess what an impact this place had on us after a month of chaotic Hong Kong and ugly, frigidly air-conditioned, crowded restaurants. The atmosphere was only the beginning- we hadn't yet even begun to eat! Now I want you all to bear in mind that we really hadn't eaten much but noodles and variations thereof since we arrived in Hong Kong. So you can imagine what we felt like when presented with Portuguese specialties such as roasted chicken and fish, salad(!), pada buns, wine and espresso. It was true heaven on earth (at least to our famished eyes!) and I have never before eaten so much in one sitting (This record has since been eclipsed- but that's a different story). All the factors, the wonderful food and wine, the good service and the idyllic setting, combined with the pounding heat made it a truly ethereal experience. I really did feel out of it, sitting there with sweat streaming down my forehead, eating this marvelous meal. Ahh.. heaven! The experience left us so exhausted that shortly thereafter we stumbled outside the restaurant and made a beeline for the nearest bench. I promptly fell asleep for an hour. back to index |
Being the dessert fiend that I am, I happily dug in- anything sweet is good as far as I'm concerned. Flora was trying to explain to me what it was that I was eating: "Tell me later" I said. "I want to enjoy my dessert first." After I had finished the last bit and put down my spoon, Flora hit me with the bombshell: "It's sparrow spit. It make your skin very beautiful.." I didn't believe her. After all we had just discussed all the crazy, disgusting things that are available to eat in China, things such as Monkey brains, snakes, scorpions, etc. The nodding heads around the table made me uneasy. They were all grinning. "Yes, sparrow spit, the bird, tweet, tweet?". Kelvin's mother tried to explain. "Very good for you, very expensive!". I still didn't believe her. How was it possible to collect sparrow spit? Did they ask the sparrow if it could spit in a jar, please? It seemed a rather absurd idea. Kelvin explained: "They collect the spit from the sparrow's nest where it is used as a sort of glue by the bird. It is a specialty here- very good for your skin." Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. I smiled broadly. "Great, good thing you told me this before I started eating." They all kept grinning. Honestly, you know it wasn't so bad. It tasted like a sweet fruity syrup. And hey, it's good for my skin too! |
